The Hardware Societe
She says
I’d heard a lot about hardware société and had always wanted to go for lunch but felt like it was just that little bit too far from work and probably way too hard to get a table. In the end I decided that a weekend brunch when time wasn’t so critical was a better option. Lucky that time wasn’t super critical because we waited over half an hour for a table. Once we managed to get a seat though the service was efficient and we didn’t wait long for our meals after ordering.
I was surprised by the menu, there wasn’t nearly as much choice as I thought there would be (we were ordering from the weekend brunch menu, maybe the weekday brunch menu is bigger?). I was still pretty happy to order scrambled eggs though, to be honest it’s probably what I would have ordered even if there were more options – although I had gone into the city with a serious pork hock craving. Is that a thing? Do other people wake up feeling like they will never be happy again until someone serves them pork hock? No? Ok, just me then.
I was also surprised by how small the café was. I knew that it wasn’t going to be huge, but by my count there was seating inside for 25 people max. I think that was part of the reason why there was such a nice atmosphere though, it’s a bright, cosy space with some sweet decor.
After my breakfast experience I would love to go back and have lunch, I am a little afraid of the queues though, given the quality of the food and the friendly atmosphere I assume that it’s hideously popular with city workers during the week. Anyone interested in an 11am lunch sometime?
He Says
When Margaret suggested a 10am Sunday Breakfast in the CBD, I was less than enthused. Sunday morning is for sleeping, not gallivanting around searching for culinary delights. Luckily there was not a lot of arm twisting needed when Margaret suggested Hardware Societe.
The journey from house-to-table was annoyingly challenging. Parking in the CBD is no longer free on Sundays so we had to find a exhorbitantly priced multistory carpark. We then spent a while searching for an ATM (cash only. Blasphemy), and then finally we arrived at Hardware Societe for the 30 minute waiting list. It then started raining so we had to huddle in a doorway like teenagers stealing swings from a goon bag on a school night.
The inside of Hardware Societe is quirky and poky, with decals on the walls, funky light fixtures and on-trend wallpapers. The breakfast menu, to be honest, was a little bit too pretentious sophisticated for my liking and it lacked a depth of choice. I ended up going with the daily special, which was a lamb sausage with morrocan stew w/eggplant, preserved lemon and morrocan style scrambled eggs, with a long black to drink.
The coffee arrived with a tiny little donut on the side, which was a really nice detail. But the meal, the meal was just great times. Everything just worked together, the mild spiciness of the eggs, the peppers, and the softness of the bread. I really enjoyed, we all really enjoyed it. I can’t remember the last time there was so little talking during a meal.
We Ate
I had the scrambled eggs with Persian fetta, chervil, Andrews ham and beetroot relish ($16). I’ll be honest, when I was presented with eggs with a side of ham and beetroot baguette I was surprised. This wasn’t what I was expecting, I had visions of scrambled eggs mixed with fetta and pan fried ham with a side of a chunky beetroot relish. Maybe the initial disappointment created bias, or maybe it was just jealousy at the special the boys had, either way I was left pretty whelmed by the baguette. The eggs on the other hand, they were great. I love scrambled eggs and would definitely go back for these.
Gerard and our dining buddy Colin Hill both had the special, Mergez sausage, peppers, eggplant and tomato stew with cumin spiced scrambled eggs ($17). As Gerard mentioned above, this was delicious. It all worked really well together. If this were actually on the menu I wouldn’t be particularly interested in trying anything else
Nailed It?
Go. Wait. Eat. Get a croissant. Be happy.
